Samurai Jack: The Epilogue
by GreyWolf93
Summary: Two thousand years have passed, into our current timeline. The world has changed much since then. New nations have risen, technology has improved, and for a young woman going to college in Montana, life could not get more strange than on the day she meet an old wandering hermit sitting on a bench, who had a grand tale to tell her, one of victory and tragedy.


The clock struck four.

 _Closing time_ , she thought with a smirk as she got her knapsack and headed for the door, just as the bell rung, signaling the end of the school day.

All around this young woman as she walked through the university campus, people talked, laughed, sung, played, and loved. It was a good enough school, she supposed, especially for one so ill-funded compared to the other unis; her parents could scarce afford to send her to the other, more prestigious schools in the area, after all. And her professors seemed to know what they were talking about, including her rather eccentric British one named Doctor Rothschild whose entire life seemed to revolve around archeology.

Her favorite class, however, and her chosen degree, had to be botany. Call her crazy, but that there was something about the natural beauty of the world that spoke to her; called to her in a way a few things could. When she had told her parents about her field, her father was, as always, insanely proud, gloating that she'll be 'the best-damned botanist in the states!'. Her mother, as always, was much more reserved in her pride, offering her a smile and some heartfelt advice, telling her that no matter what path she chose, she should always be determined and strive to be the best at it.

And she did.

She worked hard to get the best grades she could, studied day and night to perfect herself. She even took the time to learn how to defend herself, as in the first year of her studies here, she had nearly been mugged by a couple of desperate and malicious thugs.

As she walked towards the edge of campus, to where her car was, it was by happenstance she saw an old man sitting on a bench facing the water fountain in front of the admissions center, feeding what looked to be a couple of crows from what appeared to be a bag of breadcrumbs.

No, not crows, she realized as she walked closer. Ravens.

The old man suddenly looked up from what he was doing, and turned to Ashi, giving her a full view of his face. From her studies in anthropology, she could safely assume the old man was Northern European, possibly from Scandinavia or the Baltic area. He must have been quite advanced into his elder years, for beside him was a walking stick made of ash, and his hair was grey bordering on white. But despite his seniority, she did not get the vibe of helplessness from him, as he regarded her with his one good, bright blue eye; the other was covered by an eyepatch. Rather, she felt strength and authority practically exuding from him, and the way he smiled at her made her feel like he was privy to some great big secret, and she wasn't in on the know.

"Good afternoon to you, lass," the stranger greeted her. "Will you be so kind as to give an old man some company? I've been lonely these past few days, and it would be nice to talk to someone that weren't these damned birds."

"Uhh…" she began to excuse herself, wanting to say that she had to get home and catch up on her studies, to go to the dojo, to meet her boyfriend thereafter and do the things typically expected of couples, but she honestly found herself intrigued by this stranger, who wore clothing as grey as concrete. "Sure," she finally said and took a seat next to the old one-eyed man.

"Ah, what a fine day this turned out to be!" he exclaimed, looking up at the bright, mid-June sky. "Warm, as days in Montana go, but not too hot."

"They're predicting thunderstorms tomorrow, though," she pointed out glumly, to which the old man chuckled.

"Aye, but that's life for you. You take what you can get, the ups and the downs." He paused as if remembering something. "By the nine realms, I've lost my manners. I haven't even asked you your name, child."

She waved it off. "No worries. My name is Ashi. Ashi Schmidt."

"Ashi…" he tasted her name on his tongue. "Beautiful name, and one that means 'blessing' in Japanese, if I recall, though it honestly depends on the pronunciation. Curious, though. You have a Japanese first name, and a Germanic surname."

"My father was born and raised in Kansas, the fifth-generation son of German immigrants to that region." She explained. "My mother is a second-generation Japanese-American. Her grandfather was an ensign in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War."

"Interesting," the old man mused, before smiling again. "Well, you gave me your name, Ashi, so it is only fair I give you mine. My name is Alfred Wednesday, though people usually just call me Mr. Wendnesday."

"Wednesday?" she playfully snarked. "That has to be a joke."

"By the mighty hammer, I swear, that's my name," he held up his hands in mock offense. "You know, lass, you remind me of a woman I once read about in a story," he regarded her with a whimsical expression in his one good eye. "What do you know about the Japanese Emperor Hiro?"

Ashi's eyes widened at that. Her mother had told her stories about the legendary Emperor of Japan, which dated back to at least the Heian Period. She had told her that before the reign of Emperor Hiro, a foul darkness had befallen the land of her maternal ancestors, and the very earth was devastated and burned by the foul demon that had taken Japan. The previous emperor and his court were made chattel slaves, and twenty years of terrible oppression passed before Hiro boldly stepped forth into the monster's lair and fought him in a long and terrible battle, before striking the final blow and freeing Japan from its dark grasp. Although her mother believed them to be true, Ashi had always taken the story of Hiro the wandering samurai as an allegorical tale, not to mention there wasn't a mention of a Hiro anywhere in the annals of those who ruled Japan.

"That he's largely a myth," she explained. "That he's a tale used to inspire people to never give up hope, and to always persevere despite great sacrifice."

"There is always a kernel of truths in myths," Mr. Wednesday explained. "I have done research on the matter myself, and I've found far more of the tale to be more truthful than I'd care about, honestly," he sighed as if remembering it all too clearly. "It is the story of a man who was lost, and a woman who was broken. It is a tale of triumph wrapped in tragedy." He gazed off into the distance. "This tale begins long ago, when the powers of Rome and Carthage were rising, when Greece was strong, and when the Norse were proud and free. It was a time of great prosperity in Japan. It was not a utopia by any means, but compared to most other eras of humanity's history, the people were peaceful and content. That all changed the day the shapeshifting demon, Aku, returned. As your mother may have told you, he did indeed pillage the land and its people for a long time before finally being put down by the noble warrior Hiro, but it actually took him a bit longer than that. For you see, Hiro was thrown forward in time, to where Aku had dominion over the entire galaxy, and for fifty years in that dystopian future, he wandered aimlessly, searching for a way home, never aging a day. He began to lose hope, and contemplated committing suicide, even, when one day, he encountered a warrior woman who was sent to kill him."

"Did he kill her?" Ashi asked, despite not quite believing the tale Wednesday was telling her. Time travel? Really?

"That's the funniest thing," he mused. "At first, they certainly tried to do their best. But it was in the belly of the great beast they put aside their differences, and the woman's eyes began to open to the truth around her. It was then decided between the two that they would journey together, first to find his sword, and then to slay Aku. Over time, the relationship between the two blossomed into love. But in all tales of greatness, tragedy must strike. It was revealed by the foul monster that the woman was his daughter, and so used his dark powers to take control of her body." The old man paused for a minute, his eye gleaming with great sadness. "Aku thought himself victorious over Hiro, but in that dread hour, an army of Hiro's greatest allies showed up to do battle with the beast, and the woman managed to break free from her father's evil hold on her. Using her newfound abilities, she tore open a portal in time back to the past, and it was here that Hiro managed to slay Aku, and free Japan from his dark reign."

"And the woman?" Ashi asked hopefully, to which Mr. Wednesday shook his gray head.

"As the woman was Aku's daughter, born in Aku's future, her undoing the past also undid herself. She deliberately erased her own existence, and her own happiness, to ensure that her father's reign would never come to pass. Hiro was broken by this. He eventually remarried and came to accept her death, but he could never be as happy as he was with her."

Ashi fell silent for a long moment. The man had apparently suffered much in the way of pain and grief, and if there were gods, they must be cruel ones. For what loving god ripped away whatever happiness this man had finally found?

"The gods could not have prevented it, nor they could have restored her to him without breaching the very fabric of reality," he continued as if he were reading Ashi's mind. "They could, however, rewrite the tale of men's lives, and ensure that she would come to exist in a better future, one free of Aku's tyranny." He pointedly looked at her direction. "You know, child, you remind me much of the woman in this story. Strong and bold, yet caring and compassionate. Do you have a lover?"

She was taken back by that. "What business is it of yours?" she asked, flustered. "Yes, I have a boyfriend."

"And his name?"

She bit her lip. "Jack Duval," she answered. "He's a former U.S Army Ranger, going here to pursue a degree in criminology. He's often spoken to me of his desire to become a detective one day. He can't stand injustice."

Wednesday nodded sagely. "A noble and honorable man, it seems."

Ashi smiled. "Far more than you know. I've never heard him curse in front of me or my parents, he always treats me and my sisters with respect. He's the toughest, and yet the humblest man I know, and I love him even more for it."

"And I'm sure that love is reciprocated." He smiled gently and stood up. "It's getting late, and I must go home. It was good talking to you, Miss Ashi."

She nodded and rose as well. "And you, too, Mr. Wednesday, despite my continued doubt as to the veracity of your tale." With that, the two shook hands and parted ways.

Odin looked back to where Ashi was getting in her car, presumably to go home to her boyfriend. He smiled wistfully, as his two ravens, Huginn and Munin, perched themselves on each of his shoulders. Here she was, now free of the pain and devastation her original father had wrought upon Midgard. Here she was, now happy and joyful, with a family who loved her, and with a lover whom she did not know was a reincarnation of the man her past self-had previously loved. The entire earth was free, thanks to those two, and now, as he had made sure of all those years ago, they would finally have their chance to be happy and one together, to live life in all its joys and sorrows.

"Till next we meet, Ashi and Jack," he whispered silently, as he strode forth to wander Midgard once more in search of wisdom. "You will be more than welcome into Valhalla." And as he strode, he began to sing a song in the Old Norse tongue, one that still holds meaning for life.

" _Cattle die, kinsmen die, but I know one thing that never dies; the worth of an honored one's life."_

 **A/N: My first, and perhaps my only, Samurai Jack fanfic, which came to me in a moment of inspiration after the rather tragic series finale.**

 **It is my theory that, although the Ashi we all know and love is indeed gone, that doesn't mean she could not exist in this timeline, as a daughter of a loving mother and father, free from the torment that defined her old life. The reason why the gods couldn't bring her back? It would create many more paradoxes than already existed (a big reason of why I hate time travel in fiction).**

 **Now, in my opinion, the ending DID feel rushed and ripped off of Gurren Lagaan. And quite honestly, it left a sour taste in my mouth. Yeah, I realize the 'wandering warrior' genre is inherently a tragic one, but wuxia be damned for a moment.**

 **Ah well, at least it's at an end. Maybe not the one we wanted, but it's the one Genndy wanted.**

 **Till we meet in Valhalla.**


End file.
